Tempers flared in the council chambers yesterday over controversial fees for adult resource centre users.

Councillors had been unaware they were introducing a new service charge when they approved their 2012 budget and were misled over the level of charges, according to independent auditors.

At the social work services committee, Labour were quick to claim the PricewaterhouseCoopers report vindicated their stance in a row that erupted last year. The auditors concluded: “The council passed a social work budget in 2011 based on savings proposals which included increases in charges for non-residential care services.

However, this made no specific reference to charging for ARC services.

“The paper presented to the social work committee in March 2011 did not make it clear that the ARC service charge was a new charge which was being implemented and not merely an incremental increase.

“It contained an incorrect prior year comparison, providing a prior year charge of £16.50; this should have been £nil.

Labour also accused the administration of a “whitewash” and refused to retract the statement when challenged by SNP councillor Andrew Wood

Councillor John Martin said: “They deliberately made the review so restrictive it didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know.

“The Tory and SNP coalition clearly want to cover this up. They have now been forced to accept what Labour has been saying for months, namely that charges for ARCs were never properly agreed because the report the council claimed sanctioned them was totally flawed.

“The fear Labour now has is the coalition will try to bring forward plans to propose that charges for ARCs be introduced.”

Councillor William Scobie left the meeting when he asked for an assurance that charges would not be introduced in the 2013/2014 budget but was told it was not in the committee’s remit.